L'OREAL
tone of voice creation

The brief

Garnier’s ECRM programme was suffering from poor open and click-through rates. We needed to revamp it to improve both.

The insight

Women are constantly bombarded with sales messages for products like ours so are naturally sceptical.

The strategy

We established credibility for the products via a compelling combination of celebrity and peer-to-peer endorsement. 

The idea

We created ‘Beautiful Days’ – an online programme offering “tips, treats and tons more” fronted by Davina, face of the Ultralift TV campaign.  

Content

The structure and content of our emails was crucial, so we developed a precise formula. An opening consumer insight led smoothly into a need, perfectly resolved by a Garnier product.

Positioning

I created a unique positioning for Garnier: ‘We’re democratising beauty, not trying to deconstruct it’ (a reference to Dove’s ‘real beauty’ campaign). This dovetailed perfectly with Garnier’s ATL unabashed celebration of beauty and glamour.

Tone of voice

We needed to be engaging and friendly but empathetic and informative; the perfect salesperson in other words. The chatty style channelled Davina and was so successful, the client asked me to be their dedicated copywriter.  

Sample copy

“So you love knowing about all the latest beauty stuff, and you love getting free treats, tips and surprises. Sign up here for your regular little emailed package of joy with all our best bits. Isn’t it lovely having things to look forward to?”

“Say hello to Garnier Beautiful Days, your regular ray of e-sunshine.”

Results

As the campaign progressed we saw substantial increases in email open and click-though rates to well above average. Garnier loved the copy style so much they asked me to be their dedicated writer and used my brand guidelines internally. Here they are, in full:

Garnier is…

Generous, down-to-earth, conversational, positive, thoughtful, uplifting, spontaneous, playful, curious, fun, young at heart, aspirational AND accessible. Imagine friends sitting side by side on the sofa, enthusing about their latest beauty discoveries. It’s all about helping women look good on the outside and feel beautiful on the inside.

Garnier isn’t…

Edgy, shallow, clinical, luxury, elitist, niche, basic, throwaway, corporate, full of itself! We’re not Dove, either – rather than deconstructing beauty, we want to democratise it, so every woman can join in and enjoy it!   

Garnier likes…

Real needs and insights that resonate with real women. Products that really work, so you can see and feel the difference. That’s why we always want to know what our customers think – for us, that’s what really matters. We think beauty is all about being the best version of yourself so you can make the most of whatever the day brings.  

Garnier would never…

Patronise or hard-sell with cold scientific waffle.  Neither do we generalise or make assumptions about our customers, who may be in their 20s or 50s, may have families or be single and may overlap with other L’Oreal brands in different categories.    

Some keywords and phrases:

Come on, see and feel the difference for yourself!

Try, test, tell…

Tried it? Loved it? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so tell us what you think.

What is Beautiful Days?

Imagine having all the inspiration you need to transform your daily beauty routine into a source of pleasure, so you can feel refreshed and at one with yourself every single day. Beautiful Days is your daily dose of tips, treats and beauty inspiration, with little surprises and delights thrown in. There’s always something new to discover, so come and join us!

If Garnier were a person:

Your friend sitting side by side on the sofa with you, sharing all her latest hints to feeling beautiful. She’s down-to-earth, warm and makes you feel good about yourself. She looks great too – in an attainable way.

Davina McCall is the spokeswoman for UltraLift. Beautiful Days sponsors Lorraine on Daybreak.

In a similar league to Garnier

Boots No 7, Designers at Debenhams, Toni & Guy. It’s affordable yet aspirational, down to earth but stylish, fun and full of everyday inspiration.

Garnier talks to:

Women from across a broad age range. For them, looking good isn’t the be-all and end-all – they have plenty of other things going on in their life! But they do want to look good and feel great so they can get the most out of life. Unlike Maybelline girls (for whom the beauty world is like a huge dressing-up box, or a candy store) Garnier women use our products to be the best version of themselves.

Sample copy:

So you love knowing about all the latest beauty stuff, and you love getting free treats, tips and surprises. Sign up here for your regular little emailed package of joy with all our best bits. Isn’t it lovely having things to look forward to?

Say hello to Garnier Beautiful Days, your regular ray of e-sunshine.

As a member, you’ll receive the latest news, exclusive offers, expert tips and exciting treats. This month, we’re giving you the chance to try a breakthrough product the entire beauty world’s been buzzing about – our Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. cream. Claim your free sample pack now.

To bare or not to bare that is the question... like many of us, you may want to give your tan a sneaky head start this bank holiday weekend by faking it. However, the thought of things going wrong is enough to turn anyone pale.

And for comparison

I also wrote these guidelines for Garnier's sister brand Maybelline New York. The two make an interesting comparison.

Maybelline is…

Youthful, active, fun, sexy, spontaneous, daring, edgy and playful. It’s also simple, pragmatic, smart, sassy, straightforward and empowering.

It’s straight from the streets of New York, where people go to be whoever they want to be. Creativity, individuality and attitude are what we’re all about.

Maybelline isn’t…

A wallflower, passive, understated, exclusive, housewife or Little Miss Perfect.

We’re not just about high fashion either. We’re where the catwalk meets the sidewalk, so we’re inspired by both.  

We don’t own it. You do.

Maybelline loves…

Being in the know with all the latest innovations and trends.

Novelty, experimentation and the power of transformation.  

Your own interpretation, so take it and run with it.

No need to be perfect. Tear up the rules. Make a statement. Make it up!

Maybelline would never…

Beat about the bush. Use 50 words where you could use five.

Be ‘safe’, conservative, or blend into the background.

Where’s the fun in that?

Some key words and phrases:

Make it up with Maybelline

From catwalk to sidewalk

Own it. Love it. Run with it.

If Maybelline was a person:

She’d have the style and daring of the latest edgy pop star or model who does it her way – not the way she’s supposed to.

Maybelline talks to:

Think psychographics, not demographics. Maybelline is a New York state of mind.

So if you love what we love – creativity, individuality and attitude – we’re for you.

Sample messaging:

Maybelline New York – official beauty sponsor of London Fashion Weekend

Work it! Show us your hottest outfit online or get spotted by Mollie King at London Fashion Weekend

Own it! Our top make-up artist will create a full, one-off look for you, inspired by your look

Run with it! Walk our amazing virtual catwalk like a supermodel and appear LIVE on our big screen. 

#Makeitup #runwaytime #workingit #wedareyou  #walklikeChristy  

Social media guidelines:

We’re like the cool best friend or favourite blogger who’s engaging, in the know and always on trend. We talk like her, not like a big brand.

·         Be short and sweet. Get straight to the point – but you can also be playful and unexpected where appropriate.

·         Be conversational, using the latest buzz words, trend names and expressions fashion/beauty bloggers and journalists would use – e.g. ‘Elegant punk’ ‘Selfie alert’, ‘Love. These. Colours’, ‘You saw it here first’, ‘#catwalk crush’ ‘#Killer walk’ etc. 

·         Questions are good e.g. ‘So who’s loving xxxx?’ ‘What do you think of xxxx?’ Be as personal, timely, specific and relevant as you can.

·         Before you post an update, write a header or a subject line, ask yourself these questions:

Why is this relevant right now?

What is/are the product(s)?

What’s the trend?

What’s in it for your audience?